The first of four 2023 supermoons will rise tonight

The first of four supermoons to rise in 2023, July’s lunar display will appear to be brighter in the night sky than any other full moon event that has occurred this year.

The full moon, known as the buck moon in the US, will rise on Monday night and will be visible in Australia, according to astrophysicist Brad Tucker, from the Australian National University.

“It will be a supermoon tonight and it is 100 per cent full at 9.39pm AEST,” he told 9news.com.au.

“As the sun is setting in the west, the moon will be rising in the east, as it does it will look its biggest and brightest on the horizon.”

Space agency NASA said a supermoon “occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time it is full”.

This means it can look quite different to the naked eye.

“A supermoon is when the moon appears a little bit bigger in our sky,” Dr Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University, said.

“As the moon goes around the Earth, it’s not a perfect circle.

“So, there are points in its orbit where it’s a little bit closer or a little bit farther from the Earth.”

When the orb reaches its full moon phase at a point in its path where it is closer to the Earth, it appears to be slightly larger and a supermoon occurs, Schmoll explained.

This month’s moon is also known as the buck moon in the US as July is typically when male deer’s antlers grow during an annual cycle of shedding and regrowth.

Names like hot moon refer to summer weather while terms like raspberry moon and ripe corn moon signify the best times for harvesting fruit and other crops.

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Full moons and supermoons

While most years have 12 full moons, 2023 will have 13 of these lunar events.

There will be two supermoons in August, including a blue moon, which will be the closest moon to Earth this year, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The fourth and final supermoon in 2023 will rise on September 29.

People across North, Central and South America will be able to see an annular solar eclipse on October 14.

During the solar eclipse, the moon will pass between the sun and Earth at or near its farthest point from Earth.

To avoid damage to the eyes, viewers should wear eclipse glasses.

A partial lunar eclipse will also take place on October 28.

Only part of the moon will pass into shadow as the sun, Earth and moon will not completely align.

This partial eclipse will be viewable in Europe, Asia, Australia, parts of North America and much of South Africa.

Each of the nine remaining meteor showers expected to peak this year will be most visible from late evening until dawn in areas without light pollution.